San Jose: Three arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police pursuit
SAN JOSE — A shooting followed by a wild car chase that took responding officers from San Jose to East Palo Alto on early Wednesday morning resulted in three arrests on suspicion of charges that included attempted murder, according to police.
Police responded to a reported shooting about 1:12 a.m. Wednesday morning in the 100 block of West Alma Avenue, just south of downtown San Jose. Upon arrival, officers found two men suffering from at least one gunshot wound each. They were transported to a hospital, where they were expected to recover from their injuries, police said.
According to authorities, officers saw a suspect vehicle fleeing the scene, which police attempted to stop. After the vehicle refused to pull over, police engaged in a pursuit with the vehicle — a dark-colored sedan.
During the pursuit, police saw two guns thrown out of the vehicle. Both were later recovered by police; one of the weapons was found to be a “ghost gun,” a privately-made firearm made untraceable by the lack of a serial number.
When the pursuit eventually ended in East Palo Alto, two suspects were quickly arrested. A third suspect barricaded himself inside a home. San Jose MERGE officers, with help from East Palo Alto police, were able to arrest him without incident a short time later.
The three men, aged 24, 32 and 41, were each arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder, weapons violations and reckless felony evading, police said. The 32 and 24-year-old men reside in East Palo Alto while the 42-year-old man is from San Jose.
Police obtained search warrants for the barricaded home and an additional suspect’s residence in East Palo Alto, where ammunition and additional contraband were recovered, authorities said.
“This case is yet another example of how our officers are the best in the country and the risks they encounter taking dangerous criminals off the streets on a daily basis to keep our city safe,” said San Jose police Chief Anthony Mata in a statement. “The quick response, and subsequent arrest, very likely saved lives and prevented these suspects from hurting anyone else.”
Anyone with information about these cases or similar cases is asked to contact Detective Lucas Gaarde at the San Jose Police Assaults Unit via email at 4560@sanjoseca.gov or call 408-277-4161.